Tag Archives: folk

“The sounds they generate took me back to my musical roots… Marvellous music to savour and enjoy”– Michael Eavis, Glastonbury Festival

The Travelling Band are the kind of group people long to be part of – the kind that stirs deep-set emotions in fans who would dance over hot coals to see this most remarkable of live bands.

Their new single, Passing Ships, is everything The Travelling Band are, and everything their fans adore: bittersweet stories planting little flags in the mind and claiming attention for days, woven in and out of melodies you’ll think you grew up with.

Recorded with a panache to thrill existing fans and tease new ones into exploring much further, Passing Ships is typically-euphoric, carefully-crafted, always-rousing: a hallmark of all the band’s music.

Passing Ships has already been met with breathless praise:

“The track blows by in the best possible way, leaving you a little breathless and wanting even more”– Indieshuffle“A unique sound… expansive and poppy” – Earmilk

As usual, the band’s huge and loyal following demanded a UK-wide tour, and were of course rewarded with one – with yet more dates to be announced. The song is taken from their new LP, The Big Defreeze, which is released on the 25th August.

Passing Ships is a free download, and is for fans of beautiful, storytelling music likeCalexico, Iron & Wine, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Frightened Rabbit and Elbow.

‘Lights Of London’ is the second single by 22 yrd old singer-songwriter/producer Jack Robert Hardman through Pleasant Pursuits / Essential Music.

Packed full of pulsating rhythms and intricate melody lines, ‘Lights of London’ tells the tale of a relentless desire to reach the bright lights of the big city. Fusing Hardman’s distinctive vocals and trademark production style, the song paints a dreamy picture of life in London, looking from the outside in.

22-year-old Jack Robert Hardman writes and records his own brand of quirky pop music from his home studio in Ascot, UK. His intention of pushing the boundaries of production each time he records a new track has certainly been realised. You may have heard how, in the summer of 2011, Jack made his track ‘Sorry to George’ available as a free download. It attracted great excitement and interest from the blogosphere, being described as ‘dangerously addictive’ and ‘fantastically appealing’ by Eclectically Challenged ; support from radio came from John Kennedy (Xfm) and the BBC’s Tom Robinson , Huw Stephens and his local BBC Introducing presenter Linda Serck. See Music Week The Tastemakers below.

‘Famous’ is the first official single and is set for release through Pleasant Pursuits / Essential Music and Marketing. An acoustic blend of distinctive vocals and folk guitar melodies, the track’s intelligent juxtaposition of simple musical style with a lyrically complex theme showcases Hardman’s creative sensitivity at its best. The song tells of a youth’s insatiable desire to make something of their life, without any real plan on how to do it. In Hardman’s words “Famous captures the blissful naivety of youth that leads us to believe we can achieve anything.” You can check out the video below.

“His sound and writing have grown in range, and daring every time we’ve heard him”Tom Robinson, BBC 6 Music

“Harks back to happier days like a pleasing meld of Belle & Sebastian and The Postal Service”Middleboop

“Jack Robert Hardman should come with a warning label: his insanely
catchy pop will stick in your head pretty much forever. He’s a supreme talent with a unique voice and take on life.”BBC Berkshire Linda Serck

You can also stream “Famous” from our SoundCloud page:

You can also listen to a sampler of Jack’s album from our SoundCloud page too:

Initially conceived as a one-off live performance to mark the 20thanniversary of the release ofThe Stone Roses’classic debut album, THE TRAVELLING BAND’sversion of‘Waterfall’is at once disarming and enchanting in equal measure –put simply, it’s breathtaking. Replacing the liquid dynamics of the original with a stark, beautiful emphasis on the lyrics and melody, the emotional core of the song takes over. It’s an entirely new interpretation of a hugely loved classic and yet another example of the band’s perfect skill at fusing their folk, country and rock influences with their own distinctive sunshine-pop sensibility – so take a break from your day and escape toTHE TRAVELLING BAND’sworld.